WEBVTT - Thanksgiving Earnestness Bonanza 0:00:19.440 --> 0:00:22.840 Podcast starts now, and even Earnestness Bonanza starts now, one 0:00:22.880 --> 0:00:26.400 could say, And even one could say the ernest that 0:00:26.480 --> 0:00:29.200 Bananza starts now. And I want to say, Happy Thanksgiving 0:00:29.200 --> 0:00:33.239 to everyone. Oh, Happy Thanksgiving to all. As everyone is 0:00:33.240 --> 0:00:37.400 listening to this, I will be preparing Thanksgiving dinner for 0:00:37.440 --> 0:00:42.319 twelve people with Matthew. Can you believe I'm actually I'm 0:00:42.360 --> 0:00:44.519 having heart palpitations just thinking about it. I mean that 0:00:44.560 --> 0:00:47.839 sounds insane. So this is coming out, what two days 0:00:47.840 --> 0:00:50.240 before Thanksgiving, so it's gonna people are going to be 0:00:50.320 --> 0:00:52.960 in the thick of the Thanksgiving spirit. We are in studio, 0:00:53.040 --> 0:00:56.320 I should say, in Los Angeles, California, stud in Los Angeles, California. 0:00:56.560 --> 0:00:59.680 We just recorded an episode that will come out after this, 0:01:00.600 --> 0:01:04.640 and we are coming off of like this really incredible 0:01:04.640 --> 0:01:07.720 week of shows. And we have to say, for those 0:01:07.760 --> 0:01:10.360 that don't know what this is, potentially the Earnests Bonanza 0:01:10.640 --> 0:01:13.760 is not like any other episode that we would ever do. 0:01:14.319 --> 0:01:16.840 This is where we dropped the bit as completely as 0:01:16.840 --> 0:01:21.160 we possibly can and try to be sincere and earnest. 0:01:21.720 --> 0:01:28.080 And is it sometimes boring by design? One could say, 0:01:28.520 --> 0:01:31.000 And yet that's honesty. Yeah. And the first the first 0:01:31.000 --> 0:01:32.440 few times we did it, I was like, oh God, 0:01:32.440 --> 0:01:34.680 I'm being so boring. I'm not saying anything that is 0:01:34.680 --> 0:01:36.720 in any way entertaining or funny. And then I kind 0:01:36.720 --> 0:01:38.399 of had an empowering moment where I was like, and 0:01:38.560 --> 0:01:42.440 that's good. Well. I remember being like, we can't possibly 0:01:42.480 --> 0:01:45.400 release these, and then we did, and then someone was 0:01:45.440 --> 0:01:47.640 like people could be like, oh, I love the earnestness. 0:01:47.680 --> 0:01:51.440 One like that. More often we're like no coman hard. Yeah. 0:01:51.440 --> 0:01:53.160 I like it when we're funny and when we're like 0:01:53.200 --> 0:01:56.200 trying really hard, not when we're just like sort of talking. Yeah. 0:01:56.200 --> 0:01:59.200 People were like, normally, you guys try so hard it 0:01:59.360 --> 0:02:01.680 keeps falling. Glad at least now you're like, you know, 0:02:01.960 --> 0:02:06.160 being normal. But I think it's a good time for 0:02:06.240 --> 0:02:09.639 one one because Thanksgiving and too because of this incredible 0:02:09.639 --> 0:02:12.480 week of shows that George was just about to go into. Yeah, 0:02:12.600 --> 0:02:15.800 we it really is kind of the perfect time to 0:02:15.840 --> 0:02:19.320 stop and be grateful for one another, for everyone who 0:02:19.360 --> 0:02:22.359 has ever supported the podcast, also for everyone we work 0:02:22.400 --> 0:02:25.880 with now um our producers Hans and Olivia and our 0:02:25.960 --> 0:02:30.880 editor Adam. It's like one of the best, if not 0:02:31.000 --> 0:02:35.160 the best, like kind of working team relationship I've ever had. 0:02:35.880 --> 0:02:37.639 There's not like a single person where like when I 0:02:37.680 --> 0:02:39.200 get an email from them, I'm like, oh my god, 0:02:39.280 --> 0:02:44.639 this again. Yeah, and they really understand, really like us 0:02:44.639 --> 0:02:48.320 and want us to do our thing. It really feels like, um, 0:02:48.480 --> 0:02:51.639 something you are told does not happen when you are 0:02:51.800 --> 0:02:54.640 in this cutthroad industry of podcasting and in this town, 0:02:55.120 --> 0:02:57.880 in the town of Los Angeles, which is where we are, 0:02:57.960 --> 0:02:59.480 random is where we are. Do you want to talk 0:02:59.480 --> 0:03:02.920 about little bit about the shows? I do? So we 0:03:03.120 --> 0:03:05.240 had the most stressful week of our entire lives. We 0:03:05.240 --> 0:03:07.840 were which actually is kind of sad if you think 0:03:07.840 --> 0:03:11.880 about it. Um, but we were doing like and this 0:03:11.919 --> 0:03:14.280 is earnestness. It's hard for us. It's actually hard for 0:03:14.360 --> 0:03:16.760 me to get into like to like talk, I'm like, oh, no, 0:03:16.800 --> 0:03:18.720 one wants to hear about this, but okay. We did 0:03:18.760 --> 0:03:21.680 a show at for New York Comedy Festival at the 0:03:21.680 --> 0:03:24.440 Bettlehouse and that was really fun. And that was on 0:03:24.480 --> 0:03:28.640 like Wednesday of last week, then on Friday, then on Thursday. 0:03:28.800 --> 0:03:32.160 On Thursday we did game show with Dave Mazzoni, our 0:03:32.200 --> 0:03:34.120 friend and normally Matt Rogers but who wasn't there. But 0:03:34.200 --> 0:03:37.920 so we were the two like Queer Wise Queers on 0:03:38.000 --> 0:03:41.880 game show. And so that was Thursday night. Then Friday 0:03:41.920 --> 0:03:45.360 we flew to l A. Saturday, we had two shows 0:03:45.360 --> 0:03:49.800 at Vulture Fest. One was our show, which was kind 0:03:49.800 --> 0:03:54.200 of we did this um very silly satirical event that 0:03:54.320 --> 0:03:56.520 was kind of making fun of the concept of a 0:03:56.600 --> 0:03:58.760 panel event. It was kind of like the first scene 0:03:58.760 --> 0:04:01.080 of Tar. So we were pretending to be titans of 0:04:01.080 --> 0:04:03.840 the podcasting industry and our friends Sudie Green past guest, 0:04:03.960 --> 0:04:06.240 was playing the role of like a hard hitting journalist 0:04:06.240 --> 0:04:09.080 and asking this all these questions, and so we spent 0:04:09.160 --> 0:04:11.760 all day Saturday kind of writing. We wrote like all 0:04:11.800 --> 0:04:14.440 these questions and this whole controversy section where we had 0:04:14.440 --> 0:04:17.960 to address all these fake controversies, and Sudie like really 0:04:17.960 --> 0:04:21.560 committed to the character. It was like it really felt 0:04:22.480 --> 0:04:25.599 like something completely different than anything we've ever done. Also, 0:04:25.839 --> 0:04:29.279 we didn't see we didn't like do it thinking like 0:04:29.320 --> 0:04:31.600 we're going to do something really like subversive. We were 0:04:31.640 --> 0:04:33.840 kind of like, oh, this is like a comedy, Like 0:04:33.960 --> 0:04:35.640 there's gonna be comedy on this festival, and this is 0:04:35.680 --> 0:04:37.560 what we think would be funny to do. Like if 0:04:37.560 --> 0:04:39.400 it's our fans will understand it's funny that we're like 0:04:39.400 --> 0:04:43.159 pretending to be really self important. And then it was like, oh, 0:04:43.360 --> 0:04:45.880 it's like there is comedy at the festival, but it's 0:04:46.000 --> 0:04:48.599 mostly genuine Q and A s. Yeah, and it's like 0:04:48.640 --> 0:04:52.640 pop culture fandom. It's the pop culture festival. And so 0:04:52.680 --> 0:04:56.960 then it looked like it's turned us into like actually 0:04:56.960 --> 0:05:00.159 doing the edgiest thing. Yeah. I was like, oh, we 0:05:00.200 --> 0:05:03.040 are suddenly Andy Kaufman, we are like really fine. I 0:05:03.080 --> 0:05:05.600 was worried almost that we were like offending the organizers, 0:05:05.640 --> 0:05:11.120 which was not like because there weren't. I guess we 0:05:11.200 --> 0:05:13.680 also maybe thought there would be more comedy events. There 0:05:13.520 --> 0:05:15.599 were like two or three comedy events, but it really 0:05:15.680 --> 0:05:19.200 was like mostly um, you know, panels and cast re 0:05:19.320 --> 0:05:23.840 unions and uh you know like like live podcast recordings 0:05:23.920 --> 0:05:26.840 or whatever. And it did feel like we were kind 0:05:26.880 --> 0:05:30.040 of the jokers of like we were like doing Jester. 0:05:30.720 --> 0:05:33.040 We were being jesters basically, were the court jesters. We 0:05:33.040 --> 0:05:35.640 were being court jesters. Because also it's like it was 0:05:35.760 --> 0:05:38.200 at a festival, so you have to assume there are 0:05:38.240 --> 0:05:40.200 some people that I don't know who we are and 0:05:40.240 --> 0:05:43.480 are just coming to something that says Q and A 0:05:43.480 --> 0:05:45.760 about podcasting. Yeah, because the title of the event was 0:05:45.839 --> 0:05:49.599 Vulture Presents Stradio Lab presents What is podcasting? A conversation? 0:05:50.160 --> 0:05:55.760 And truly multiple people were like, uh, is this serious? 0:05:55.839 --> 0:05:57.360 Like should I come to is this like a show 0:05:57.480 --> 0:06:03.279 or is it serious to that? I a darling, use 0:06:03.720 --> 0:06:07.760 use your brain. But it was so fun. I've actually 0:06:07.760 --> 0:06:11.200 never felt I haven't felt like that, um both like 0:06:11.279 --> 0:06:13.479 nervous and excited on stage in a long time, where 0:06:13.480 --> 0:06:15.719 it was like, oh my god, we are like being 0:06:15.960 --> 0:06:18.559 we're being the joker, so we're being like little stink. 0:06:18.640 --> 0:06:21.440 It was electric. I was so obviously I'm always grateful 0:06:21.560 --> 0:06:23.760 for you every second of every day. But Sudie in 0:06:23.800 --> 0:06:25.960 that moment, I was like, I feel so safe in 0:06:26.000 --> 0:06:28.279 her hands. She was so fully committing to the bit. 0:06:28.800 --> 0:06:31.919 And then we had Matt Rogers, who was there for 0:06:32.000 --> 0:06:34.920 his own show. We asked him if he would want 0:06:34.960 --> 0:06:37.680 to do like a cameo basically, and when we opened 0:06:37.760 --> 0:06:39.960 up for audience to n a. The joke was that 0:06:40.040 --> 0:06:42.000 we kept calling on him and of course people were 0:06:42.000 --> 0:06:45.480 so excited um that it was him and he could 0:06:45.480 --> 0:06:47.919 have done anything, but he came fully prepared with a 0:06:48.040 --> 0:06:51.520 character and a narrative and three questions that each had 0:06:51.560 --> 0:06:54.400 like their own introduction that he had multiple beats that 0:06:54.600 --> 0:06:56.800 each heightened, and I was like, okay, you know you 0:06:56.839 --> 0:07:00.800 don't have to be like funnier. That's right now. I Yeah. 0:07:00.880 --> 0:07:03.200 So that was that was our little event that we did. 0:07:03.200 --> 0:07:05.719 It was in the kind of like smaller stage pool 0:07:05.800 --> 0:07:09.720 side um at the festival. And then right after that, 0:07:10.000 --> 0:07:12.720 like an hour later, we did Matt Show, which was 0:07:12.760 --> 0:07:17.679 this big kind of Thanksgiving God Christmas variety show. Yeah, 0:07:17.760 --> 0:07:20.000 it turns out everyone's really good at singing except for us. 0:07:20.080 --> 0:07:22.680 But we had so much fun and it was just 0:07:22.720 --> 0:07:24.960 like we got to be like a little stinker sidekicks. 0:07:25.160 --> 0:07:27.520 It was like this is heav fun. Like the premise 0:07:27.600 --> 0:07:29.360 was that he's in his living room for Christmas and 0:07:29.560 --> 0:07:31.840 his friends keep coming over and doing stuff with him. 0:07:31.840 --> 0:07:33.680 It was kind of like it felt very like classic 0:07:33.760 --> 0:07:36.559 variety show and we were the only ones who didn't sing, 0:07:37.480 --> 0:07:39.360 and so our I guess he just kind of had 0:07:39.360 --> 0:07:41.080 a conversation with us, and then we just like we're 0:07:41.160 --> 0:07:45.240 on stage while all these like true singers were like 0:07:45.360 --> 0:07:47.880 singing and we were just kind of reacting to it. 0:07:47.880 --> 0:07:51.200 It was a damn blast. It was so fun. Truly 0:07:51.520 --> 0:07:54.120 felt insane after that. Yeah, And then by the way, 0:07:54.160 --> 0:07:56.200 like that that night was also just like one of 0:07:56.240 --> 0:07:58.640 the best. It's really like one of the best nights 0:07:58.720 --> 0:08:01.080 socially of the past three years for me, Like it 0:08:01.200 --> 0:08:03.760 felt like a sort of pre pandemic joy that I 0:08:03.800 --> 0:08:06.480 hadn't felt in so long. We all got dinner afterwards, 0:08:06.480 --> 0:08:09.920 everyone from that show, and then our mo fright passing 0:08:10.000 --> 0:08:12.320 and us went back to our hotel for a night cap, 0:08:12.360 --> 0:08:14.960 and we're just like laugh laugh laughing all night so fun. 0:08:15.040 --> 0:08:17.880 We were literally like walking because our hotel was on 0:08:17.920 --> 0:08:20.720 the like Walk of Stars or whatever, and it was 0:08:21.280 --> 0:08:23.360 we started off with being like who would like who 0:08:23.400 --> 0:08:26.520 cares about this? And then immediately just started seeing names 0:08:26.520 --> 0:08:29.520 of celebrities that we recognized, and we go literally every 0:08:29.600 --> 0:08:31.920 name we recognize, which is many of them, they're all famous. 0:08:32.080 --> 0:08:33.280 We would just be like, Oh, I got pink I 0:08:33.520 --> 0:08:36.480 got Kidman, have I got it? Halfway? And I still 0:08:36.480 --> 0:08:38.439 have photos of my on my phone where it's like, 0:08:38.480 --> 0:08:41.160 why did I take a photo of Pink Star? When 0:08:41.160 --> 0:08:42.880 am I When am I going to need that? But 0:08:42.920 --> 0:08:44.160 I was in that moment I was like, well, I 0:08:44.160 --> 0:08:45.800 have to have a photo of Pink Star. It was 0:08:45.920 --> 0:08:49.760 so fun. We were being crazy and I was having 0:08:50.120 --> 0:08:53.120 a block. I felt like summer camp and uh yeah. 0:08:53.160 --> 0:08:55.520 And then and so then the next uh, the next 0:08:55.559 --> 0:08:59.120 day was our one day off. We again like had 0:08:59.120 --> 0:09:01.520 such a nice like I saw Julia Claire during the day, 0:09:01.559 --> 0:09:03.800 then we saw Josh and Aaron at night, I had 0:09:03.800 --> 0:09:07.400 dinner with Charles Rogers, um, and so that was like 0:09:07.440 --> 0:09:12.760 our one friend day. And then Monday was our show 0:09:12.800 --> 0:09:16.360 at the Allegian, which which was genuinely like I felt 0:09:16.400 --> 0:09:20.080 like I was on drugs, just a cherry on top. Uh. Everyone. 0:09:20.200 --> 0:09:22.360 The audience was like one of the best audiences we've 0:09:22.440 --> 0:09:25.920 we've ever had. I was like, I've never felt so 0:09:26.080 --> 0:09:30.400 supportive by a routup of people. Um, it was it 0:09:30.480 --> 0:09:33.160 felt really friends and family. We had Sydney, Greta Mo 0:09:33.960 --> 0:09:37.960 and Nori, so all people that we like really love 0:09:38.040 --> 0:09:40.080 and do not have to like feel like we're doing 0:09:40.120 --> 0:09:45.000 work with us. After that show versus us on Tuesday 0:09:45.760 --> 0:09:49.120 the previous week, when we were so deeply stressed out 0:09:49.160 --> 0:09:51.280 and like still even trying to book people and still 0:09:51.280 --> 0:09:53.000 trying to like put it all together and figure out 0:09:53.040 --> 0:09:55.120 what we were doing, it was just like what a 0:09:55.120 --> 0:09:59.640 sense of relief and it was like it was very emotional. Yeah, 0:09:59.760 --> 0:10:02.800 it it really felt like a weight had been lifted, 0:10:02.920 --> 0:10:05.960 because yeah, I mean it basically did one to three 0:10:06.040 --> 0:10:09.680 or four five. We basically did five shows in five 0:10:09.800 --> 0:10:13.640 days into in two cities. Now I understand other people 0:10:13.679 --> 0:10:17.240 have harder lives than us, but it was for us. 0:10:17.280 --> 0:10:20.280 It did. You know, it did feel like a lot 0:10:20.559 --> 0:10:23.600 and a lot of pressure. I mean, the you know, 0:10:23.600 --> 0:10:25.200 you just never know how these things are going to go. 0:10:26.240 --> 0:10:29.679 I mean I absolutely have PTSD from doing bad like 0:10:29.800 --> 0:10:32.080 planning shows and having them flop flop flop and l a. 0:10:32.280 --> 0:10:34.200 You really you really never know. And I and we've 0:10:34.200 --> 0:10:36.840 both had experiences of like shows we thought were going 0:10:36.880 --> 0:10:40.040 to do well that like sold no tickets, that did 0:10:40.080 --> 0:10:43.120 sell tickets but did but were terrible, where like you 0:10:43.200 --> 0:10:46.160 thought a bit with Crush and it just didn't end anyway. 0:10:46.280 --> 0:10:47.880 It just it was it was kind of one of 0:10:47.880 --> 0:10:51.240 those weeks where everything seemed to be going right and 0:10:52.120 --> 0:10:54.640 everyone around us was like doing their best to help 0:10:54.679 --> 0:10:59.160 out and be supportive and uh, yeah, and I guess 0:11:00.080 --> 0:11:04.559 so that leads us to the earnestness bonanza, which yeah, 0:11:04.679 --> 0:11:07.120 I think we're I guess I even want to say 0:11:07.200 --> 0:11:10.320 like thanks for coming. Yeah, like anyone who came to 0:11:10.360 --> 0:11:14.640 a show or I don't know or has come to 0:11:14.640 --> 0:11:17.000 a show in the past, and I even want to 0:11:17.000 --> 0:11:21.480 say like thanks for listening. Yeah, why not? Like I 0:11:21.520 --> 0:11:25.440 think this week in particular really put like a different 0:11:25.480 --> 0:11:28.360 perspective on it. You know, we've seen it the podcast grow, 0:11:28.440 --> 0:11:31.120 and it's been very nice to see. But this like 0:11:31.240 --> 0:11:35.240 doing like all these shows and feeling like like it's 0:11:35.240 --> 0:11:37.480 hard for me sometimes to like understand that what we're 0:11:37.520 --> 0:11:41.520 doing is like it almost transcends us as individuals in 0:11:41.559 --> 0:11:46.080 a maybe that's too aggrandizing, but it's like it is 0:11:47.160 --> 0:11:49.000 it is something. It is something, and I'd like to 0:11:49.000 --> 0:11:50.600 be like, yeah, it's our stupid podcast that I don't 0:11:50.600 --> 0:11:52.880 care about or whatever. It is our stupid podcast. But 0:11:52.920 --> 0:11:55.199 it's also like fun to be, like I don't know, 0:11:55.240 --> 0:12:00.120 if we're like stupid and silly and um uh, you know, 0:12:01.360 --> 0:12:04.800 whimsical or whatever else, it's like fun to then be 0:12:04.840 --> 0:12:06.280 in a room of all people that are like in 0:12:06.280 --> 0:12:09.000 the mood to be silly and stupid, and I don't 0:12:09.080 --> 0:12:12.000 I mean, we're not under any impression that we're doing 0:12:12.080 --> 0:12:16.319 like deep important cultural work. But it's also like just 0:12:16.360 --> 0:12:19.760 like super fun too. It's basically just um. I think 0:12:19.800 --> 0:12:22.520 mostly it's just like fun to meet people that share 0:12:22.559 --> 0:12:25.280 our sensibility and I have a similar similar sense of 0:12:25.360 --> 0:12:28.800 humor and to be like, you guys seem really cool 0:12:29.920 --> 0:12:31.760 and so I don't know, Yeah, last night we were 0:12:31.760 --> 0:12:33.320 like talking to people after the show and it was 0:12:33.360 --> 0:12:36.080 just like so nice to meet people. And I thought 0:12:36.160 --> 0:12:38.560 every single person I talked to was like genuinely someone 0:12:38.559 --> 0:12:40.080 that's cool and that I would like be friends with, 0:12:40.720 --> 0:12:45.280 um if we if we lived in Los Angeles of course, wait, 0:12:45.440 --> 0:12:54.280 don't ask us. Yeah, so grateful. So to kick it off, George, 0:12:55.000 --> 0:12:57.880 it's been an amazing time podcasting with you. As we've 0:12:57.880 --> 0:13:01.400 gone into our corporate era. I'm happy that we have 0:13:01.480 --> 0:13:05.440 not changed an ounce and we are still raw and 0:13:05.600 --> 0:13:09.920 edgy and um you know these especially an event like 0:13:09.960 --> 0:13:12.440 that Vulture thing where we're doing something kind of experimental. 0:13:13.040 --> 0:13:15.920 I feel so taken care of performing with you. I 0:13:16.679 --> 0:13:18.760 because when it's just myself, I'm sort of like I 0:13:18.800 --> 0:13:21.000 can get even I can get very very nervous because 0:13:21.120 --> 0:13:25.080 I by myself. Oh baby, the highs are high, but 0:13:25.120 --> 0:13:28.000 the lows are low, and there are times when I 0:13:28.040 --> 0:13:30.560 can flop but with the two of us, I always feel, 0:13:31.320 --> 0:13:33.800 you know, honestly, I'm like, and this is not going what. 0:13:33.800 --> 0:13:35.600 We're absolutely gonna bomb as soon as I say this, 0:13:35.720 --> 0:13:39.640 but I'm like, there's no way we can bomb. I'm knocking, 0:13:39.720 --> 0:13:42.240 I'm knocking on the table. We're just like, you know what, 0:13:42.360 --> 0:13:44.320 We'll not that there's no way we can bomb. And 0:13:44.360 --> 0:13:46.120 I take that back, but I was like, you know, 0:13:46.160 --> 0:13:48.600 we'll find something, and I could kind of trust that 0:13:48.640 --> 0:13:50.880 we could find something even if like the things that 0:13:50.920 --> 0:13:52.840 we intended to go well weren't going to go well. 0:13:53.280 --> 0:13:56.040 And I would like to ping pong that pickle ball 0:13:56.120 --> 0:13:59.480 that back to you and say that at this point, 0:13:59.559 --> 0:14:01.719 like you know, we had this like I don't want 0:14:01.720 --> 0:14:02.960 to go into the whole thing where in the beginning 0:14:03.000 --> 0:14:04.640 of the podcast, a joke was that we were coworkers, 0:14:04.640 --> 0:14:06.840 but then we actually became super close friends and whatever 0:14:06.840 --> 0:14:09.400 everyone knows and like, at this point we have been 0:14:09.520 --> 0:14:12.480 legitimately close friends for many years. It's not worth addressing, 0:14:13.000 --> 0:14:17.640 but there's a way where I feel like there's always 0:14:17.679 --> 0:14:22.680 even one level deeper. And what makes me so grateful 0:14:22.760 --> 0:14:25.320 and excited about our friendship is that I never know 0:14:25.360 --> 0:14:29.200 what that next level will be and it like, I 0:14:29.240 --> 0:14:32.800 feel like our relationship is deepening every day, and like 0:14:33.000 --> 0:14:35.120 you still surprise me with certain things you say or 0:14:35.160 --> 0:14:38.800 certain things you do. It feels like kind of in 0:14:38.840 --> 0:14:41.080 the same way with like a sibling or very close 0:14:41.120 --> 0:14:43.320 to where like even though you know them inside and out, 0:14:43.760 --> 0:14:45.880 there's always something to talk about and there's always something 0:14:45.960 --> 0:14:49.960 to do. And when we're like sitting next to each 0:14:49.960 --> 0:14:53.640 other in a show, sometimes I will like sometimes I 0:14:53.680 --> 0:14:56.240 will like physically just touch your shoulder and it almost 0:14:56.240 --> 0:15:03.520 feels like I'm like it's like physically grounding. Wow, that's 0:15:03.520 --> 0:15:06.640 our little earnest, this up top earnest up top. And 0:15:07.200 --> 0:15:09.400 I guess what we're gonna do? Answer your damn questions. Now, 0:15:09.400 --> 0:15:11.600 We're gonna answer you damn questions as soon as Sam 0:15:11.640 --> 0:15:14.080 got his laptop work. I know I'm not a great 0:15:14.120 --> 0:15:19.720 tech head. Um, Okay, let's start at the start. Let's 0:15:19.760 --> 0:15:24.640 do it. Okay, this is from Elena. Sam. Can you 0:15:24.640 --> 0:15:26.600 tell us more about Gizmo? How long have you had him? 0:15:26.640 --> 0:15:28.760 What kind of dog is see? What is his general affect? 0:15:28.960 --> 0:15:31.480 Does he bark, et cetera? And now, most importantly, can 0:15:31.520 --> 0:15:33.800 you explain your ethos as a dog owner. Are you 0:15:33.840 --> 0:15:35.480 a dogan who lets your dog get away with a lot? 0:15:35.560 --> 0:15:37.400 Do you get offended if people don't love your dog? 0:15:37.600 --> 0:15:39.600 Do you take him everywhere? Do you have strict boundaries? 0:15:39.800 --> 0:15:41.640 I have a theory that someone's approaching their dogs has 0:15:41.680 --> 0:15:43.400 a lot about them, and I'm very curious about yours. 0:15:43.520 --> 0:15:45.720 I love this question. So this is part one. Part 0:15:45.760 --> 0:15:47.400 two is for you, but I'll do my part first. 0:15:48.080 --> 0:15:51.960 So Gizmo, he is a rescue. He is a blue 0:15:52.000 --> 0:15:54.920 healer mixed with something I'm not sure of. He is cranky. 0:15:55.160 --> 0:15:59.640 He has some aggression issues. If I'm being completely honest, Um, 0:15:59.680 --> 0:16:02.720 I can't concur although actually, because I've been told that 0:16:02.840 --> 0:16:05.360 so much, I don't attempt to pet him, so I've 0:16:05.400 --> 0:16:07.280 never had issues with him, but I do sometimes wish 0:16:07.280 --> 0:16:08.800 I could like take a little face in my hands. 0:16:08.880 --> 0:16:11.520 I know it's the it's the preparedness paradox, but I 0:16:11.560 --> 0:16:15.840 do like he just he's complicated because he he almost 0:16:15.880 --> 0:16:19.080 like doesn't like affection, like but then as soon as 0:16:19.280 --> 0:16:21.560 someone's ignoring him, he's like, well I want a little. 0:16:22.200 --> 0:16:23.920 But I think the real key is to like pet 0:16:24.000 --> 0:16:26.080 him a little and then like stop and then he'll 0:16:26.120 --> 0:16:31.080 like walk away. But I'm like, he's tough. He's like 0:16:31.120 --> 0:16:35.000 a stubborn dog. So I try to just like work 0:16:35.080 --> 0:16:37.800 with him rather than against him, Like it's sort of 0:16:37.840 --> 0:16:41.120 my approach. Like there was a while, like we have 0:16:41.240 --> 0:16:43.360 found out like, Okay, he doesn't like when people get 0:16:43.360 --> 0:16:44.960 in his face, Like that is a fact. So now 0:16:45.000 --> 0:16:47.160 we just tell everyone that comes in, like don't get 0:16:47.200 --> 0:16:51.640 in his face and generally ignore him unless he approaches you. Yeah. 0:16:51.680 --> 0:16:53.680 I tried a lot of different methods. Like I tried, 0:16:53.760 --> 0:16:56.360 like because he has leash aggression, and so I tried 0:16:56.400 --> 0:16:58.640 to like do the like sit and treat at every 0:16:58.680 --> 0:17:01.560 time we would pass another dog, and then like that 0:17:02.520 --> 0:17:05.879 did not work, and then like I try, Yeah, I 0:17:05.920 --> 0:17:09.040 tried like being like stopping every time, like and like 0:17:09.720 --> 0:17:12.600 get being really strict, and that like didn't. That actually 0:17:12.680 --> 0:17:14.560 did work better. Honestly. The thing that worked the most 0:17:14.600 --> 0:17:17.359 was changing where I put his collar like his leash, 0:17:17.840 --> 0:17:21.000 putting it like higher up on his neck um because 0:17:21.000 --> 0:17:23.000 that was like more uncomfortable for him, and so he 0:17:23.040 --> 0:17:25.200 was like, Okay, now I don't want to mess around 0:17:25.200 --> 0:17:28.199 on this, but generally I try to. I think, um, 0:17:28.320 --> 0:17:31.720 I am the strict parent and Misha is the nice parent. 0:17:31.840 --> 0:17:34.080 Misha is always like giving him extra treats and stuff, 0:17:34.080 --> 0:17:38.639 and I'm always like, well he already ate dinner. But 0:17:39.000 --> 0:17:42.800 um no, I love my dog very much and we 0:17:42.840 --> 0:17:47.359 have a very very special bond. And um I have 0:17:47.440 --> 0:17:53.040 had him for eleven years. Yeah, that is crazy. You're 0:17:53.040 --> 0:17:54.879 not a dog on that brings him to like bars 0:17:54.880 --> 0:17:59.080 and stuff. No, just because he's like he needs his space. 0:17:59.640 --> 0:18:01.439 I like to bring him, Like if we're going to 0:18:01.480 --> 0:18:04.960 a park to sit somewhere, I'll bring him there. I'd 0:18:05.000 --> 0:18:07.679 like to bring him on quote unquote vacations, like if 0:18:07.720 --> 0:18:09.640 we're going to my parents house from his parents house. 0:18:09.680 --> 0:18:11.440 I love to get him out of the city whenever 0:18:11.480 --> 0:18:15.320 I can, because I think it calms him definitely. All right, Yeah, 0:18:15.440 --> 0:18:19.000 and now yours. Okay, so this is mine? Um, all right, George. 0:18:19.040 --> 0:18:21.359 You've said in past episodes that you've changed your name 0:18:21.359 --> 0:18:23.879 because it's almost impossible to pronounce in English, So obviously 0:18:23.920 --> 0:18:26.600 I'm extremely curious about what your name is. Can you 0:18:26.640 --> 0:18:28.920 introduce yourself using your full name like you would in Greece. 0:18:29.240 --> 0:18:32.280 On a similar note, on the first Earnestness bananza, a 0:18:32.320 --> 0:18:35.600 listener requested thirty seconds of Sam giggling. I wonder how 0:18:35.600 --> 0:18:38.399 many people have sexually pleasured themselves to those thirty seconds 0:18:38.400 --> 0:18:42.000 of Sam thousands? Hopefully, can I request thirty seconds of 0:18:42.080 --> 0:18:44.840 you speak in Greek? You know we did. I gotta say, 0:18:45.160 --> 0:18:47.560 we said this episode it would be self indulgent. So 0:18:47.600 --> 0:18:49.919 if you find yourself being like this is self indulgent, no, 0:18:50.040 --> 0:18:53.640 that it's by design. Yeah, that's the point. That's the point. Um. Yes, 0:18:53.720 --> 0:18:55.800 I'm happy to say what my full name is. So 0:18:56.080 --> 0:18:58.840 in Greek my name would be Yogos to video at 0:18:58.880 --> 0:19:03.320 these and basically I shortened like I didn't want to 0:19:03.359 --> 0:19:05.560 just like change my name like George Smith, like I 0:19:05.600 --> 0:19:07.920 wanted it to have like a Greek vibe. And so, 0:19:08.480 --> 0:19:10.800 in fact, so my name normally would start with a 0:19:10.840 --> 0:19:13.120 T S. But that's actually what that actually was because 0:19:13.119 --> 0:19:15.880 of a regional accent kind of um. And so when 0:19:15.880 --> 0:19:17.879 I changed in to a C, that's almost kind of 0:19:17.880 --> 0:19:20.840 harkening back to like the original name that it would 0:19:20.840 --> 0:19:23.280 be because my family, my dad's family was from a 0:19:23.359 --> 0:19:26.719 village or from a town called Kivetti with a like 0:19:26.720 --> 0:19:29.400 with a C sound in the beginning, so it would 0:19:29.440 --> 0:19:34.080 have been ke and so I made it Kivetti like Severis, 0:19:34.280 --> 0:19:38.280 And so it's in my mind, it's like part of etymologically, 0:19:38.680 --> 0:19:41.200 it has roots in the actual name. So I didn't 0:19:41.200 --> 0:19:43.800 want to just like make it something random. Um, did 0:19:43.800 --> 0:19:46.119 your sisters? No? No, no, I mean it's and I 0:19:46.160 --> 0:19:48.760 wouldn't have. The only reason I did is because I 0:19:48.760 --> 0:19:50.960 was like doing stand up and I just wanted people 0:19:50.960 --> 0:19:52.800 to be able to pronounce it when bringing me on stage. 0:19:52.880 --> 0:19:57.200 Like if I wasn't even if I was just a writer, 0:19:57.560 --> 0:20:00.320 I would not have changed it. Like it's not you 0:20:00.320 --> 0:20:03.439 know it, I will say it is. It is annoying 0:20:03.520 --> 0:20:04.840 to have a name that no one can pronounce. Like 0:20:04.880 --> 0:20:06.679 when we lived in New Jersey, it was just so 0:20:07.440 --> 0:20:10.000 exhausting that, like I would have like my middle school 0:20:10.040 --> 0:20:12.679 graduation and the and the teacher would ask me like 0:20:12.720 --> 0:20:14.480 three times ahead of time, like how do I say this? 0:20:14.520 --> 0:20:16.000 And then on the day of the thing, she'd be 0:20:16.000 --> 0:20:18.640 like George T. And then everyone would like laugh, knowing 0:20:19.440 --> 0:20:22.639 it's just like annoying. Um. But then again, right now, 0:20:22.720 --> 0:20:24.560 it's annoying because my legal name is different than the 0:20:24.640 --> 0:20:27.000 name everyone knows me by, and so it's impossible to like, 0:20:27.960 --> 0:20:31.360 you know, just like I'll have like a dinner reservation, 0:20:31.440 --> 0:20:33.960 someone will show up early. Then it's like with my 0:20:33.960 --> 0:20:36.000 old email address. So they'll be like, it's first Severus 0:20:36.000 --> 0:20:37.400